"the ed show" starts now. good evening, americans. and welcome to "the ed show." live from washington, d.c., let's get to work. right there. i'll look you right in the eye tonight ask tell you that i support workers in every workplace in america. >> that that fight is worth fighting for! >> this is ridiculous. >> now you know, there's a big calculation going on right now about trust. >> i'm not sure what that means, to be honest with you. >> democrats are going to trust john boehner and the republicans to to the right thing for the unemployed in this country. >> i don't trust the republicans.

we need grown-ups running the house. >> this is ridiculous. >> how proud you must be. [ whistling ] >> it's going to be a new year. they're going to be a different crowd, those republicans. >> to candy and nuts for christmas. >> nothing has changed. >> good to have you with us tonight, folks. thanks for watching. we begin the show with breaking news, just moments ago. the senate just voted 64-36 to pass the bipartisan budget bill. and let me tell you, there's a whole bunch of good news in it for the republicans. because this is a block-buster for them. the budget does avoid a shutdown for the next two years, which i think is bad news for the democrats. politically, if they were to shut down the government again, it would destroy them in the mid

terms. so the republicans were smart enough to make sure that this budget deal is going to avoid a shutdown. so now they can take ted cruz off the senate floor. they don't have to worry about that anymore. that's the good news. their unemployment. insurance on december 28th. but hold the phone. wait a minute. there's more. veterans are going to see a reduction in their retirement, starting in 2015. there just wasn't a whole lot of conversation about that. heck, i thought the republicans supported the troops. well, that's only when they're wearing the uniform. when they retire, that's a different thing. you see what's happening here, folks? the republicans can find any dollar they want. they can go get money from the veterans who are retired. but they certainly don't want to give anything to the unemployed. 1.3 million americans, their lives are going to change starting on december 28th. this budget will also let

republicans hold our nation hostage over the debt limit ceiling. that's right. senate minority leader, mitch mcconnell, is already talking about taking a hostage. meanwhile, democrats, well, their plan to extend the unemployment insurance is exactly what we have been talking about for days on this program. that is, they're going to trust john boehner and the republicans. last night on this program, california senator, barbara boxer, told me it will be the senate's first order of business next year. >> this deal left out something very important, which was taking care of the unemployed, with a total commitment by harry to make this front and center when we get back. i don't trust the republicans. i do trust the american people. i think they're going to weigh in on that issue when we get back, and i think they're going to weigh in on the minimum wage, income inequality and a lot of the issues that you have been highlighting. they're going to be forced to deal with this, because we are bringing it up. and we're going to tell the

stories that you've been telling, like i have 222,000 of my people in california impacted by this out of the 1.3 million. >> i still say, democrats cannot trust john boehner and the republicans to get anything done in 2014 when it comes to the 1.3 million people that are going to get hit three days after christmas. and guess what, the six months the number is going to grow to 1.6 million. the democrats are banking on a campaign. saying that the public will get together with them and put enough pressure on the republicans. i think they need to push for something beyond that. let's call it the new new deal. they've been after the new deal for a long time. oh, well let's come back with a new new deal. see, democrats need to fight for something new and different. because they've got all these poll numbers on their side. here's what i think has to happen. first, the congress needs to pass an unemployment extension. they also need to make a rule

that unemployment, when it's above 6.5%, there are going to be automatic extensions. not anymore money, just automatic extensions. until we work to get that unemployment rate down. second thing they've got to do, they need to pass a federal minimum wage increase, and that is going to happen. they're going to put it up you in legislation after the 1st of the year. they're talking about $10.10 an hour, which would be a real help to the economy. and the third thing they need to do, protect the s.n.a.p. program and stop all of these cuts when it comes to food stamps. believe me, the poor people in this country are not the budget problem. at all. congress also needs to tackling the issue of income inequality. thankfully, the american people side with the democra which brings me to my next point. let's go through the numbers. a new "washington post" abc news poll shows 66% of americans support a minimum wage.

they want to go up from where it is right now. 64% of americans think the government policies favor the wealthy. so in other words, the top 1 and 2% got it pretty good. the american people think they can serve up a little bit more. the third thing is, 57% think the government should try and address income inequality. that's the subject. gosh, that's what we have been talking about for several years on "the ed show." that's where the country is. there's no doubt the american people are siding with the democrats. this is why democrats have to come back in the new year and fight like they have never fought before. in other words, when they get out of washington, they have got to do town hall after town hall after town hall. and they've got to go after the republicans, big-time. what other kind of campaign are we talking about? i do not believe for a moment that john boehner is going to make a commitment tonight over the cocktail hour, now that he's got the senate vote -- don't

worry about 2014. we'll bring that sucker up for a vote in the house. he ain't going to say that. you see, they believe, the republicans, that all of these unemployed people in america, they're democrats. and they also believe that they're not going to vote for the republicans anyway. so that's part of the equation. oh, we did get the doc fix in this bill. how many democratic doctors do you know? this is about the vote. most doctors in this country vote republican. most of them don't like government. do i have anything to back that up? no, that's just a gut feeling. i'm willing to say that, because it's just instinctively, that's what i feel in this country. so the game plan for the democrats starts with something they really have no ledger to go on. you know what they have when it comes to dealing with john boehner? a blank sheet of paper. that's what they have. let's see.

this bill, this bill, this bill, this bill. we have worked on this many things with boehner. they don't even have a stray straight line across the board. so this is a serious leap of faith on the part of the democrats. to go forward and move with this. protecting the big three? you know, that's great. but it pulls so strongly in this country, i'm not so sure this is such a big lift with the american people. that's what they used to call a slam dunk. minimum wage? polling pretty strong. so all of the things that the democrats want to do and all of the things that democrats want to poll are polling strong with the american people. so why not do the fight right now? well, it's too late to talk about that now. because the senate just passed this bipartisan budget bill, and i'm sure the president is going to sign it. he's not going to veto anything. and the other thing is that they

all can't wait to get home and say they worked with the other side. that's part of it too. i believe that this was a bad bill from the start. because it doesn't address the most vulnerable in our society. it doesn't address those who have really paid a price and will pay a price in this recession recovery. we're getting better numbers all of the time. the unemployment rate is coming down. the housing starts are looking good. the market closed at a record high today. corporate profits are through the roof. things are getting better all the time. can't we just throw them one more, the unemployment in this country? can't we give them another 90 days? get your cell phones out. i want to know what you think. tonight's question. do you trust congress to do anything about income inequality? text a for yes, text b for no to 67622, go to our blog at

ed.msnbc.com, leave a comment there. we'll bring the results later on in the show. for more, i want to bring in senator ber desanders of vermont, the independent who sits on the budget committee and also on the veterans committee. senator, tell us how you voted and why you voted. i want to hear from you tonight how this came down. >> okay. i voted yes on the budget, because it was the lesser of two evils. wasn't a good budget by any means, but beats seeing shutdowns in the government. beats seeing more devastating cuts to head start, meals on wheels, education, heating and many programs that benefit low-income and working families. clearin clearly, as you have indicated, it was an inadequate budget, did not ask corporate america -- one out of four corporations pays zero in taxes, we didn't get a nickel from them. wealthiest people pay' lower tax rate than middle income people. we didn't raise their tax rate at all. so this in my mind was not a good bill, lesser of what the alternative would have been. and that's why i voted for it.

>> senator, explain this campaign that the democrats are going to wage after the 1st of the year. what is going to bring the house? i mean, i know harry reid will bring it to the floor and you'll get a vote in the senate on minimum wage and also unemployment extension. what is going to happen in the senate that would force john boehner to bring it for a vote in the house, up or down vote? >> well, ed, i think as you have just indicated, on all of the basic economic issues, the american people are in strong opposition to republican etiology. what the american people want very strongly is no cuts. and, in fact, an expansion of social security, medicare and medicaid. they want to protect education. they want to protect programs that benefit working families. they do want to ask the wealthiest people and large corporations to start paying their fair share of taxes. so we have the american people at our backs. what should we do? this is my view. first of all, we have made progress by changing the rules in terms of presidential

nominations. in my view, ed, i know this is a radical idea, we have got to go further. and say to the republicans, you know what, the economy is in severe trouble. you cannot continue to obstruct, obstruct, obstruct. >> so you want to change -- senator, you want to change senate rules that will affect a jobs bill and some other things that will help the economy. >> exactly. >> you want this to go further. >> i think you go to the republicanses and say if you guys want to obstruct and obstruct, you know what we're going to do, we're going to pass this with majority votes, because that's what the american people want. you know what we're going to do, we're going to pass a jobs bill, raise the minimum wage. we're going to extend unemployment, we're going to deal with college affordability. we are going to deal with the issues that the american people care about. and we're not going to let you obstruct anymore. >> you know, senator, i want to point out. on my radio show one year ago today, the 18th of december, 2012, we were having a huge discussion in this country about you can't let the bush tax cuts expire.

the republicans had the narration out there going, you can't raise taxes on the job creators. this is going to kill jobs. this is going to hurt the economy. we have added jobs every month since the bush tax cuts expired. the market went over 16,000 today, a record close today. unemployment is going down. now all of these things are great things that are happening for the economy. and we -- they have been wrong on everything. you know that, i know that, many democrats know that. they have been wrong on everything. so is this the perfect time for the democrats, for lack of a better term, to go for the jugular when it comes to making sure the republicans are going to be honest brokers on the economy? >> i think, ed, this is the time. we have got to clear the air. we have to make sure that everybody in america, especially working people, understand that the republicans are opposed to a jobs program. they're opposed to raising the minimum wage. they want to cut social security, medicare and medicaid.

we have got to put those issues right on the floor, and let's have an up and down vote. if you want to cut veterans' programs, you go ahead and do that. if you want to cut social security, do you that. let the american people see. let's have majority rule. >> and senator, what about these veterans retirees, they're going to see a reduction starting in 2015. >> right. >> you know, a lot of these retirees, you know, the republicans love to say they support the troops. well, tonight in this budget they didn't. >> well, let me just tell you this. the budget that we passed in the senate, because we had revenue coming in, by eliminating these corporate loopholes, we didn't cut one nickel of veterans' pensions. and that's the point. i think this is an issue, ed, that will be addressed next year between you and me. , i think we're going to deal with that. >> and the farm bill. is the farm bill, that debate now open even further? does it get an extension automatically, because now you've got -- you've got to hold their feet to the fire when it

comes to minimum wage, and you've got to hold their feet to the fire when it comes to unemployment benefits. i mean, you know those republicans in the heartland. they want that farm bill. >> we have more poverty in america today than any time when the history of this country, and these guys over a ten-year period want to cut food stamps and other nutrition programs horrendously. $40 billion in food stamps cuts over a ten-year period. it ain't going to happen. >> and, of course, 57% of the american people want the congress to address income inequality. you have done that consistently. people know that. you've been one of the strongest voices out there. it's like the congress is catching up with you, senator sanders. and the people are -- i think are ahead of the congress when it comes to this discussion. great to have you with us tonight. and i guess it's official. tonight i'm left of bernie sanders. i would have voted no on this. senator, thank you for your work. appreciate it so much. all right. senator bernie sanders with

us tonight here on "the ed show." remember to answer tonight's question there at the bottom of the screen, share your thoughts on twitter at ed show and on facebook. we always want to know what you think. coming up, speaker boehner in his blame game on the economy. it's all good. plus, mission accomplished in the war on christmas. (vo) you are a business pro. seeker of the sublime. you can separate runway ridiculousness...

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welcome back to "the ed show." we love hearing from our viewers. tonight in our "ask ed live" segment, our first question from francy r. what should be the first order of business by congress after the holidays? well, the senator from vermont and i were just talking about that a moment ago. i say change the filibuster rules that will deal with legislation. and let's get to a jobs bill.

let's do minimum wage. let's extend unemployment insurance for those who are going through a tough slide with the economy. and just think, you might be able to close some of those corporate loopholes, where one in four corporations in this country don't pay any tax. change the senate rules. that's the first order of business that i would do. our next question comes from joe bus. when will sean hannity be man enough to go one-on-one with you? you know, it's not a question of manhood. i think it's just a question of being absent in the arena of ideas. because that's where hannity would be if we ever did get into a face-to-face discussion in front of a crowd. i've offered to do that. he doesn't want to do it. and i understand. because they don't have any ideas. we've got a lot more coming up on "the ed show." stay tuned. stick with innovation.

stick with power. stick with technology. get the new flexcare platinum from philips sonicare and save now. philips sonicare. [ male announcer ] welcome back all the sweet things your family loves with 0-calorie monk fruit in the raw. ♪ welcome back [ male announcer ] it's made with the natural, vine-ripened sweetness of fruit, so you can serve up deliciously sweet treats without all the sugar. so let no drink go unsweetened. no spatula un-licked. and no last bit un-sipped. you don't have to throw a party, but you'll probably feel like celebrating. raw natural sweetness, raw natural success. time now for the trenders. ed show social media nation has

decided and is we are reporting. here are today's top trenders, voted on by you. >> ho, ho, ho! merry, everyone! >> the number three trender. happy christmas. >> as you may know, christmas not universally accepted in the country anymore. >> every day we see attempts to ban christmas displays and even the word christmas. >> billo believes the war is over when it comes to christmas. >> nine years ago, when we started this relationship woretage on christmas, what would have happened, and we're speculating here, if i hadn't taken this on and we hadn't challenged the stores and hadn't challenged the aclu? >> i don't think there is a war on christmas. i think it's a catchy phrase. >> sha la nonbeliever. >> it isn't a mythical war on christmas. it's real and we won. >> the number two trender. stay catty. >> i'm ron burgundy? meow. stay fluffy, san diego. >> "anchorman" gets a furry

parody. >> news team assemble! >> she-las do not believe in the newsroom. >> i don't know what we're yelling about! >> boy, that escalated quickly. >> i'm in a glass crate of emotion. >> good night. and go bark yourself, san diego. >> and today's top trender. jobber. >> the american economy, greatest in the world, is stuck in a new normal. high unemployment. >> 7%. that is a five-year low. >> slow growth. >> 47 straight months of private sector job growth. >> john boehner says the president is stalling economic growth. >> here in the people's house, getting our economy moving again. >> wrong. you're so wrong. >> the current congress could go down as one of the most unproddive in modern history. >> senate democrats are standing in the way. president obama is just standing on the sidelines. mr. president, what are you waiting for? >> joining me now is congresswoman, donna edwards of

maryland. in studio with us here in the nation's capital. good to have you with us. boehner has taken out this ad, saying that the president has stalled the economy. and he can say what he wants. the numbers are what they are. 47 months of private-sector job growth, the market went over 16,000 today, record close. unemployment is going down. but now you have to trust him to do a deal on key issues that are polling very strong in this country, what the american people want. how are you going to get that done? >> i think the way we're going to get it done, the president is going to exercise the bully pulpit the way we need him to on minimum wage. on income inequality. on extending unemployment insurance, which we did not do when we left town, and the senate is closed too. and so i think the president has to really dig down in that bully pulpit, use it, talk to the american people, to force republicans toim could to the table on these issues. >> so you think that the

president could play a major role with his low poll numbers right now, you know, obamacare is getting better all of the time, no doubt about it. polling better all of the time. but the president is going to play a major role in this? it would not be any kind of legislative maneuvering by the democrats to force boehner to come and bring this like minimum wage to the flash floor for a vote. >> we're going to do our part too. but the president is still the president. the president still has the podium at the white house. and the more vocal he is with the american people about these issues that are over the top, all americans virtually want an increase in the minimum wage. this is not rocket science. and it's not anything that's really difficult. and if the president does that, it will enable us to do the legislative work. >> so harry reid gets it done in the senate and passes in the senate, no matter what the senate rules are. let's just say it gets out of the senate. will that be enough and the president to put pressure on boehner to say okay, we're going to bring a vote of minimum wage to the floor. i've been told by other house members and i want your take on

this. if it were to come to the floor, all the democrats on minimum wage and unemployment insurance, they would certainly vote yes and there would be enough scared republicans, enough reasonable republicans over there, to pass it. it's just a matter of bringing it to the floor. you agree with that? >> well, look how that's true. it's true about that, it's true about immigration. it's true about unemployment insurance compensation. i think that -- i think across the board, if democrats are aggressive and play hard ball from the senate to the house, and with the president, we can get this done for the american people. i'm convinced that we can do it. i mean, you know, we see already, you look at these poll numbers, and it's extraordinary the way that the american people feel. >> sure. >> about what we need to do to really change the economy for working people. i mean, we're at 7%. let's just say through no fault of the republicans, because they haven't done anything to contribute to the lowest unemployment that we have had in five years. >> they have done nothing. they have done absolutely nothing. they have had no hand in the economy whatsoever.

and all they do, and that ad was all about it, boehner just blaming the president for stalling the economy. >> look what boehner could do. he could bring a jobs package to the floor of the house. he could bring a transportation and infrastructure package to put people back to work. have they done it? not at all. well, they have cleared the detecti decks on the budget. it's time to start bringing some things to the floor. >> do you feel comfortable with this bill, the bipartisan budget bill? it gives the republicans what i call shutdown protection, election protection. so in other words, they don't have to worry about ted cruz gumming things up in the senate anymore. and, you know, shutting down the government, because they don't have enough votes. there's not going to be a shutdown of the government, which was very unpopular when it did happen. and i don't think that they would try to do it again. but now they've got protection that it won't be shut down. they can go home now and say no new tax increases, loopholes still there for the corporations and we're not going to shut down the government. what do the democrats take out

of it? >> yeah, you know what, one of the things we get is the stability, frankly, that the american people need. and all of those federal workers who if we hadn't done that would be on furlough on today going into the holidays. i think those are really important things. but the fact of the matter is, you see republicans today starting to talk about how they're going to threaten again the full faith and credit of the united states. over who knows what. over health care? >> that's why i say why do a deal with them now. you know you're going to have to fight for them anyway. i don't want to hear anymore republicans say that there's uncertainty in the economy. there's uncertainty amongst -- >> wall street is not uncertain. >> wall street is rolling. it's amazing what the socialists in the white house have done for wall street. i say that kidding, because that's all they call president obama. what are the corporate obligations in income inequality? because this, of course, is another thing that polls very strong that the american people want to see addressed. how do you do it? >> i think the way do you it is -- two things. >> from a corporate level.

>> corporations have used the excuse of a stalled economy for not investing their capital that they have been sitting on. and they have used the excuse of instability and what congress was going to do or not. you know what, we have cleared the decks. time to loosen up that capital. put it into the economy. start hiring again. you know, on minimum wage, we're talking about an effect on a small number of people, those significant. raise that wage base. it's not going to hurt this economy at all. >> congresswoman donna edwards, thanks for joining us here tonight on "the ed show." stick around, the rapid response panel is next. i'm morgan brennan with your cnbc market wrap. the dow surges 292 points to a record high, thanks to the fed. the s&p jumps 29, also finishing at a record. and the nasdaq gains 46 to settle at a 13-year high. the catalyst for today, the

central bank's decision to taper monthly asset purchases by $10 billion starting next month. meanwhile, housing starts soared to their highest level in nearly six years. and shares of theater operator amc jumped 5% in their first day of trading. that's it from cnbc, first in business worldwide.

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welcome back to "the ed show." thanks for watching tonight. congressman darrell issa, he is a fly in the ointment, isn't he? he has been waging a permanent taxpayer-funded witch hunt on the obama administration since way back. house democratic leader nancy pelosi has had enough. and leaders say issa subpoenaed sensitive, unredacted contractor

documents related to the security of healthcare.gov. darrell issa does not deserve to be trusted with sensitive information. it's not just health care, folks. during his benghazi hearings, issa released documents without redacting the names of libyans who were working with the united states during the fast & furious investigation. issa put details of secret wiretaps into the congressional record. and during his tsa overnight hearing, issa defended the leak of documents that included security information. just a good guy all around, isn't he? issa is as leaky as an old watering can. the congressman who has got the checkered past is proving old dogs just don't learn new tricks. this guy is after obamacare at all costs. and if he is leaking secret information that is sensitive to our i.t. work in the government, what do you say we have an impeachment vote? he's trying to do that with president obama, as well.

joining me now, our rapid response panel, karen finney and ej dionne, msnbc contributor and columnist for "the washington post." >> it's like where to start with this guy. >> let's put the oh other investigations of the past and let's talk about the issue they're concerned about. nancy pelosi says there is sensitive information leaked. they're concerned about it. this would torpedo obamacare.gov. >> it's up to boehner. what's he going to do, stay silent? >> you need to watch more fox news, i'm afraid. a comment to a medicare or medicaid director down in texas. and it gives you a sense of where he's coming from on these -- on this whole subject. the problem here is that what he is trying to do with this, with these hearings in general, and with this in particular, is scare people not to sign up for obamacare. >> exactly. >> and to say this isn't secure

if you sign up, all your information is out there. he's going after the navigators. who are the navigators? they're people who are helping other people get health insurance. >> oh, they're community organizers, according to issa. >> exactly. and so there's that. and then there is this history of leaking all kinds of stuff that shouldn't get out there. and look, congressional hearings are there to expose wrongdoing. if -- we have cheered them on when they did this in other circumstances. but this isn't about exposing wrong. this is about trying to undercut obamacare. >> it's boehner's call right now. what are the expectations? >> well, i think boehner should step in. i don't think he will. i mean, because remember, here's -- the pattern we have seen with issa is not just leaking sensitive information. but selectively leaking information that tells only one part of the story. and, you know, it's been congressm congressman cummings time and again saying -- he did in the irs stuff, even in benghazi where he clearly has a conservative narrative against the president.

he's trying to push. >> how does he get away with this -- >> boehner has got to step up. some of that spy spine he grew last week, he's got to use this week and say enough is enough. >> boehner is a guy who historically is a regular order guy. he is supposed to be somebody -- and at times in his career shown that he cares about the house and how it's supposed to operate. and this is a really interesting test. because i have a feeling, in his heart of hearts, he's got to know some of this is over the top. >> it's interesting that nancy pelosi is not asking for hearings. she wants a high-level security briefing on the operations of issa. >> right. >> let's not put the cart before the horse here, which i think is brilliant on her part. give us the information. be forthcoming. what have you released? and then i think it would be up to the justice department to make a determination, wouldn't it? >> yes. and i think what it also means is that they can see all of what's in there. the whole picture. so that if -- if anything leaks out and if it leaks out, you know, piecemeal, they will know what should have been -- whether

it should have been out there or should not have been out there. >> the cyber security rules. i mean, we're into this new information age. i mean, oh, it's okay if we release that. you know, liz winsted, comic said the other day, everybody is having a hard time picking their health care plan, why not just turn it over to the nsa. i thought that was pretty good. >> they can fill out the documents. >> they can fill out the whole thing right there. >> the thing is, again, i think it's important to be consistent here. there are times when we have cheered when people put out information that the government was illegitimately withholding from us. i think what's particularly disturbing in this case, and why pelosi acted, is because if some of this gets out there, it endangers the very thing issa is supposed to be trying to protect. it endangers national security. it could endanger the security of the website. so what you want to do is, you do not want that stuff leaked in a way that could hurt people out in the country. >> and remember, under issa, it was in one of his hearings that

jason chaffetz outed a cia installation in the benghazi compound. i mean -- and they had to go to special session. it's ridiculous. oonchts i am going to give both of your take on the budget. the senate has passed it, the president is going to sign it. good deal, karen? >> no. i'm with you. the fact that it's -- doesn't have unemployment insurance -- politically, i understand the deal. >> yeah. >> but as an american, i'm disappointed in that. although i do think that they will be able to fix the pension issue for our veterans. and i think patty murray knew that, which is why she let that happen. >> i think it's bad but necessary. bad, because it doesn't include unemployment, bad because the cuts are still too deep. necessary, because we need it to put some of that money back into the economy, less the government hurt the economy -- the congress hurt the economy more than it's already hurting. >> i just -- all of these things are polling so great for the democrats. okay? so where's the victory? if the american people are with the democrats on saving the big

three, it's a political loser. if the republicans were to go down that road. but they're coming away saying well we protected the big three. well, yeah! you know? i mean, that's not -- that's not a heavy lift, is it? or is it that the american people just don't realize how determined the right wing is to come after them on those three? >> well, i think the public has a general sense that the republicans would cut some of these programs if they could. i don't think they're going to sort of get to play that. and i think patty murray did stand strong on those particular issues. and she bass out there yesterday saying we could have avoided some of these cuts if we had tax reform or some other way of raising revenue. i think this opens the way to more fights next year and that progressives need to put their issues on the table. >> i think progressives need to push congress to make sure they hold the line on these things. >> i can't wait to see this campaign we're hearing about, how they're going to get john boehner to break his back to

bring these votes on the minimum wage, on unemployment extension, and some of the other things the democrats want. i don't know. that's why i say it's a bad deal. i think you're right. politically understanding it, not good, as it should be. great to have both of you with us. great to have you on. coming up, the gop is trying to destroy the united states postal service again? we have the new head of the postal workers union joining us after a big protest in oregon. stay with us. we're right back.

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holy smokes, a double whammy here, glenn beck and sean hannity. the beckster joined hannity's radio show to dispel a vicious rumor. word on the street is that they are republicans. >> here's what the problem with the republican party is. and i'm not a republican. people think i'm a republican. i'm not. i'm a registered conservative in new york. and i've been saying speaker boehner needs to go. >> you'll never get credit for that. >> i don't want credit for that. >> no, but what i'm saying is, the left will never look at people like you and me and say we're anything but republicans. but -- i have attacked the republicans more than i have attacked -- i was saying that you wanted to get george bush on impeachment -- remember they were claiming impeachment, i said go after him what they were doing on champion and rom owes. but somehow i was a big bush fan? come on. >> they forget the areas where we disagree. >> wow. i mean, that is just some

hard-hitting -- i'm not a republican type audio, isn't it? well, here's the dynamic duo taking the gop to task. >> when i saw you, you were -- my perception was, you were totally, completely at peace. >> yeah. >> your job was done. and you seem even more at peace now. >> i am at peace. >> paul ryan. you, sir -- you, sir -- >> how are you doing? >> i love you. >> oh, i love you too. >> mr. president, it's -- first of all, you've become a little bit like a rock star. >> to me, it's really important to flesh progressives out into open debate. >> i love you. >> i'm talking to you, my buddy. >> no way is sean hannity and glenn beck republicans. no way! sean hannity and glenn beck don't like to kiss and tell. what a shame. they have such a beautiful love story with the republican party, don't they? especially when the heritage foundation spends money on

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welcome back to "the ed show." this is the forry for the folks who take a shower after work. i knew this was going to happen. we all know republicans are trying to chip away at the

backbone of america by attacking the united states postal service. now we're starting to see people in community the push back. seven people were arrested at a mail processing center in springfield on tuesday. they gathered. on the busiest mail day of the year to protest the impending closure of the center. >> not necessary. the postal service is not broke. >> the mail processing center in springfield employs 169 people and has been told it's going to be forced to close sometime in february. now the financial pinch, the united states postal service is under all comes from the postal accountability act passed by congress in the lame duck session in 2006 which forces the postal service to prepay in advance, prepay, retiree health care for 75 years into the

future, but they got to do it in a ten-year window. well, it's put a pinch on them big time. republicans have been gunning for the postal service to go privatized for a long time. they want to force this agency into bankruptcy and privatize it. how else can we read it? but here's what's happening in communities. people are starting to respond. you see, they hike their post office. it is vital. it's part of america's infrastructure, but it's what the republicans continue to chip away at. they say it's an opportunity for privatization. i say they're wrong. this is the new president of the american postal workers union, thank you for joining us. are we going to see more of this type of activity we saw in oregon? >> i think so and i hope so. i think the people of the united states are ready to defend their

service. it belongs to them. it belongs to the people of this country, and it serves every community, every neighborhood, every city, every state. no matter your background, no matter your income, and i don't think people are going to stand for letting it be privatized. you're absolutely right about that point. i think the post office takes in about $65 billion a year. and the privatizers would like their hands on that. wall street would like their fingers in that pie. and so we hope, and our union's very committed to building what we're hoping to call a grand alliance between the people of this country and the postal workers to save a service that's really a national treasure of this country. >> and the bottom line is you don't have any tax dollars. >> no tax dollars at all. >> i have to tell you. this is the season, we're shipping all kinds of packages. you're more than competitive on your rates and on your services.

so moving forward, how many of these facilities, you think, are going to be paired back say within the next year, year and a half? >> unfortunately, too many of them have been paired back to date. and a number, 60, 70, maybe even more are threatened to be paired back in the future. every time it's paired back the service declines. that's why the public's mail is taking longer and longer to get there. that's why the mail in large part is getting there later in the day. we have many viewers, this is happening to them, they're getting mail delivered at 8:00, 9:00, 10:00 at night. that's not service. that's not safety for the workers. the more these plant closures happen, the more it's going to be dismantled and open for privatization. >> is it a matter of servicing the bigger processing centers?

is it a manpower issue? >> when you close a processing center, not only do the jobs leave in those cities and towns, but mail gets trucked, then gets processed and transported back hundreds of miles. so the standards are going down. what used to take one day overnight now taking two and three days. and that's not the kind of service that the postal service should be providing to the people of this country. we want to see great service. >> what about the law that was passed in 2006? this continues on. this is what, $8 billion, $9 billion a year to your bottom line that you have to pay health care. >> it's at least $5.5 billion a year. for instance, if it were not for that pre-funding mandate, last year the post office was $600 million to the good, to the black.

>> so if you had not had this pre-funded mandate put on by government intervention, the government had stayed out of the postal service, you'd have made $600 million last year. >> and it's a mandate no business, no business agency ever faced in this country, solely based on the postal service. >> the mission is to repeal that law. >> the mission is to do away with the pre-funding, whether it's repealed or changed and let us get back to the business of serving the people of this country. and let us enhance the services. for instance, we're big fans of non-profit postal banks. >> we will follow the story. good to have you with us tonight. that's "the ed show." i'm ed schultz. politics nation with reverend al sharpton starts right now.

tonight's lead, people over politics. that's the message from the president and the first lady today. after they met with a group of mothers who have been helped by the affordable care act.